Howling At the Trees
by Predominantly Normal
Summary: When Candy had stumbled across Dipper's unconscious body, she had been deep in the Gravity Fall's woods taking pictures... CandyDip! ONESHOT!


**I DO NOT OWN GRAVITY FALLS**

**CandyDip is so precious. Wanna know something else that's precious? Watching me struggle at writing from a girl's perspective. **

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><p>When Candy had stumbled across Dipper's unconscious body, she had been deep in the Gravity Fall's woods taking pictures.<p>

She was dutifully taking pictures for an online blog she ran with Mabel and Grenda. In her small hands was a beautiful silver camera that she had paid an arm and a leg for. It was a five megapixel, 16 gigabyte, beauty that Candy would all but give her life for.

She snapped several photos of the trees, flowers, and any other interesting things she happened upon. Since her and Mabel's first summer, she had developed a love of photography beyond the funny little pics she had snapped from her phone. During the fall months when Mabel went back to California to go to school, the girls connected online through a collaborative art and how-to blog.

Candy had just captured a photo of a rabbit nibbling on some plants when a nearby groan scared the jittery creature away. Candy straightened up and surveyed the area, adjusting her pastel green glasses on her nose.

"Hello?" she asked, glancing around and instantly grasping her shoulder bag. Gravity Falls was well known for its creepy and dangerous inhabitants, and Candy was poised and ready to bolt should a three-headed flamingo monster burst from the brush.

"Candy has pepper spray!" She threatened, knowing full well that most monsters wouldn't be able to understand her. The groan emitted from a clearing in front of her that was concealed by low hanging weeping willow branches and a fallen log.

Candy eased herself over the log and swept past the curtain of leaves. She squinted her eyes, trying to identify a heap of blue and red cloth laying on the ground. It didn't take long for her to recognize the blue fleece vest and white pine tree hat that belonged to Dipper. She yelped in surprise and nearly dropped her camera as she raced over as fast as her small legs would carry her.

"Dipper!"

The red that she had mistaken for cloth was instead, to her horror, blood staining his coat. She was careful to not move him quite yet, inspecting his broken and bruised body first. His hat had fallen off and landed a little bit away. His hair was matted down to his forehead with sticky, pungent, red. Candy could see the glistening scarlet wound on his head, as if he had been hit. She but her lip and checked quickly to make sure he had no broken bones before wondering what to do next.

Her perpetually charged phone had chosen an awful day to run out of battery, and she wasn't sure where she was exactly, as she had wandered off the dirt path to take some photos. She didn't want to lose Dipper's location, and by the time they found him, it could very well be dusk.

So Candy packed her camera away in her shoulder bag, gritted her teeth, and carefully hauled Dipper up on her shoulder. She struggled with his weight, despite him being a tad underweight, but managed to hold him 'fireman's carry' style, so that holding him was more of support rather than lifting.

She wobbled for a moment, but regained her balance, eyes darting around rapidly for a way out. She couldn't go back the way she came, as the log reached up to her waist, and she couldn't possibly get Dipper over without compromising his health. She didn't want to go the way he came, either, as whatever had caused this to him was probably still lurking there.

Candy walked to the edge of the clearing, feeling around for a way out. Luckily, she managed to find an opening just a few yards from where she came. The tree had split in half with the broken trunk still partly attached to the stump, creating a convenient archway for her to walk under.

"Candy will get Dipper home," she reassured, although she had to wonder whether she was reassuring Dipper or herself.

She trudged on, trying to ignore her burning shoulder and find the beaten dirt path as quickly as possible. She reached up to rub her tired eyes and her ankle caught on a loose vine. Desperate not to hurt her cargo, Candy's knee shot forwards and crashed upon her bag. She heard and audible crack and winced.

"Minor setback," Candy muttered, moving on.

She hadn't realized how late it really was until she seen the sun setting and the fluorescent mushrooms begin to glow. She gnawed on her lip nervously, a knot forming in her stomach. When she heard the voice, she screamed and clutched on to Dipper's legs protectively.

"M-Mabel? Why are we...?" Dipper mumbled offhandedly.

Candy sighed in relief.

"Shh, you're safe," she cooed through her efforts.

Dipper hummed in response, shifting slightly to make himself more comfortable on her narrow, bony shoulders. "Has your hair always been so soft...? It smells good. New conditioner?"

Candy felt her face heat up, and she found herself hotly telling Dipper to shut up so she could concentrate.

Candy had just found herself back on the dirt road when she heard the familiar baying of the Wood Wolves. Very quiet to those without sharp hearing, they usually snuck up on their prey and snatched them in their long jagged branches. Candy hushed her yell of fear with a hand in the mouth. They could smell fear, but they could hear it better.

"Dipper, keep talking your silly boy nonsense," she said in a hushed tone. Dipper obliged.

"Sure, Mabes," Dipper said sleepily. "So I was looking at the thing, y'know with the... Y'know. And uh, Soos came behind me and he said something and uh, yeah," Dipper trailed off with a loud yawn.

Candy laughed softly at his scatterbrained thoughts. She was so close to the shack, she could see the warm welcoming light of the attic lantern.

"Almost there. Candy did it!"

She was about to get inside when it pounced an inch from her nose and roared. A Wood Wolf. Its piercing yellow eyes paralyzed Candy, and her blood froze when she seen the huge red gobs of blood-tinted saliva hang off of huge white fangs.

"Candy is afraid," she hissed, before screaming and running just out of the Wood Wolf's grasp.

The wolf tore down the grass at wild speeds, cutting Candy off at each desperate turn she made. Candy screeched in hopes that her voice would reach Mabel, but the Wood Wolf literally took her voice from the air and ate it.

"They eat sound!" Candy whimpered.

"Wood Wolves," Dipper nodded. "They feed on noise and fear," he recited robotically.

As if on cue, the monster howled and grew a few feet taller, large branches protruding from its back.

"Any weaknesses?" Candy asked frantically, barely dodging a colossal wooden paw and landing on her knees. She couldn't lay Dipper down, and she didn't have much strength left in her to run. She'd have to work fast if she wanted to live.

"They're... Lycanthropes or something," Dipper hummed before quieting completely.

Candy racked her brain. Where had she read about Lycanthropes before...? The monster neared her slowly, licking its jaws with a long blood red tongue. Come on, Candy! Think! It began to extend its long branches, trapping Candy. The exit behind her got slimmer and slimmer before closing altogether and encasing her in darkness.

Then, she remembered. In Grenda's adult novels, the male protagonist was a Lycanthrope! A Werewolf! And a Werewolf's biggest weakness was...

Candy's eyes darted to her bag. She ripped it open and yanked out her silver camera. It only had a minor cracked screen from when Candy had fallen on it. It could be fixed. Her hand trembled.

Candy frowned and sighed heavily before tightening her fingers around the thick metal casing. Her eyes darted up to the Wood Wolf, who was soaking her fear in like a rag. All she had to do was get it to open it's mouth... But how?

Candy didn't have time to think, and luckily, she didn't need it. Immediately, her eyes lit up and she formed a plan. She would only have one shot at this, and her aim wasn't too sharp, either. Sucking in the rest of her fear before the beast could take it, she screamed.

The Wood Wolf yipped in delight, once again plucking her scream out of the air and opening its massive jaws to devour it. Candy said a quick prayer, and then hurled the camera with all her might.

Out of sheer luck, she managed to sink the metal camera right into the Wolf's throat. As soon as it sailed into the monster's wooden belly, smoke began to emit from the Wolf's throat, billowing up into big dark clouds.

Silver. A Werewolf- or Wood Wolf's, biggest weakness.

Candy cheered, still supporting Dipper. Her victory filled her with new strength, and she managed to carry him to the door of the Mystery Shack with light feet.

Before she even had a chance to knock, the door swung open to a very concerned Mabel clutching her grappling hook. As soon as Mabel's eyes caught Dipper, she shrieked.

"Dipper! What happened, Candy?!"

"No time. Candy will explain when we are safe inside," Candy shuddered, looking over her shoulder and wondering if the yellow dots peering out of the woods was simply her imagination.

Thankfully, Mabel asked no questions and helped Candy haul Dipper to the attic, laying him on his bed. They wrapped a fresh bandage around his head, and checked his body for other wounds. There were some gashes on his shoulder, but most part, only minor cuts and bruises made up his blemished skin. They were all cleaned and dressed in bandages.

"So what happened?" Mabel asked again.

Candy was dying to tell her, but the extra energy from her win against the wolf had fizzled out into nothing. Her eyelids were heavy on her face.

"Hello? Earth to Candy!" Mabel poked her face, "Bwomp. That was the truth poke. Now you must tell me what happened!"

Candy opened her mouth to speak, and collapsed on Mabel's shoulder, blacking out before her head even landed on Mabel's pale blue sleep clothes.

When Candy opened her eyes, she was under warm quilt covers. Waddles had wiggled his way under her arm, and for a moment, she wondered if she had somehow switched bodies with Mabel again. Her theory was proven wrong when she got a mouthful of her own jet black hair.

Candy lurched up, coughing. The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that it was well past 11:00 by now. Everything ached. She turned her head to look at Dipper, rubbing her sore neck. Realizing that the world appeared to be a strange gouache mural, Candy patted her face, noticing the absence of her neon green glasses.

Dipper had roused not too long ago, but was sentenced to his bed for a few days of rest. He heard he rustle in Mabel's bed and tilted his head.

"Uh, hey. Your glasses are on the table," Dipper informed her, pointing to the table. Candy's hand found the familiar object, and her thin fingers wrapped around the frame. She balanced them on her nose cheerfully and smiled.

"Dipper is okay!" Candy smiled. She pulled herself out of the bed, wincing as she moved her sore muscles. She inched over to Dipper and sat at the foot of his bed.

"Thanks to you, apparently," Dipper nodded. "I was in the woods researching these things that the journal calls Timber Wolves when I blacked out. Mabel said you knocked on the shack door at two in the morning with me over your shoulder. She said you were gonna tell her what happened, but you passed out."

Candy nodded, brightening up. "My mother calls them Wood Wolves! I killed one!"

"What?! How?" Dipper's eyebrows arched up in interest.

"Silver!"

"Silv- oh my god. Lycanthropes. They're in the Werewolf family. Oh my god I'm so stupid," Dipper groaned, slamming the back of his head against the headboard and then wincing when he remembered his injury. "How'd you think of that?" He took a glance at Candy.

"Sexy books!" Candy replied cheerfully. Dipper laughed.

It was around then when Mabel burst into the attic carting a large tray of sandwiches and snacks. She kicked the door open and marched to Dipper's bed, taking a seat next to her friend.

"I hear flirting!" Mabel yelled, causing Candy to squeak and squirm awkwardly. Her face was red, and she suddenly found her dirty socks quite interesting.

"Yeah right!" Dipper gave Mabel a friendly punch to the shoulder.

Mabel gasped. "I slave over a hot stove for an hour to make you two sandwiches and this is my thanks?!" Mabel dramatically pointed to the cheese and ham sandwiches.

"Thank you," Candy smiled, accepting a sandwich and biting into it. She hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, and had forgotten about her hunger until then.

Dipper sighed, snagging a sandwich and a grape juice box. "Thanks, Mabes," he said, feigning a sulk.

"So Candy, you need to tell me what happened!" Mabel exclaimed, fishing out a bag of chips.

So Candy told them everything. She told them about finding Dipper, and carrying him home, and fighting the Wood Wolf. By the end of the story, the twins were leaning forward and soaking in every word.

"And then, I threw my camera at it! It burned to death," Candy smiled warmly before jolting up on her feet and spilling her blueberry juice box. "My camera!"

Candy's legs were too weak and sore to support her in a sprint, so she trotted to the door and stumbled down the steps as frantically as her body would allow. She heard Mabel and Dipper call after her, and two sets of feet walk down the wooden boards of the Mystery Shack attic.

Candy toddled to the door and whipped it open. She was greeted with sunshine and warmth pouring in around her, but paid no mind. Her feet carried her to the clearing where she fought the wolf, and to the black charred remains of the beast that marked the grass. After a bit of looking, she finally found her camera, coated in black, and completely annihilated. She held the now fragile equipment in her shaking hands and felt her chest ache.

She had done so much for that camera. She had skipped sleep to work odd-end jobs, she had sacrificed lunch to save up every scrap of money she could manage. And now it had all been in vain. Candy felt a sickening twist in her stomach, and warm tears come out of her eyes. Her knees buckled and she dropped down to the grass, quivering. This was the first thing in her life that she had really worked hard for and felt proud of. She wasn't pretty like Pacifica, she wasn't funny like Mabel, and she wasn't strong like Grenda. She wasn't even smart like Dipper.

But damn, could she take pictures. And now she had nothing. Candy felt increasingly embarrassed and ashamed as she felt Dipper and Mabel's eyes both staring at her, but she couldn't muster up enough will to stop her flow of tears.

Candy felt a sturdy hand grasp her shoulder in reassurance. She didn't have to look up to know it was Dipper.

"I'm sorry, Candy. I know how much that camera meant to you," Dipper said softly. "I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Candy shook her head. "It is fine. You're safe, we're both alive... That's all I need, I think." She managed a wobbly smile and stood up, packing the broken remains of her camera into her bag. Mabel offered Candy a friendly nudge.

"You'll be fine, Candy! I know it! You're like, the most work-hardest girl I know!" She grinned.

"Thank you," Candy looked at her feet.

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><p>Candy strolled over to the Mystery Shack door. In her bag was no longer a laptop and a camera, but rather a collection of silver candle holders, silver chains, and silver coins. A cheap, low quality camera hung around her neck with endless photo and video recordings of the Lycanthropes inhabiting Gravity Falls. Ever since the incident with Dipper, curiosity had clawed at her until she wandered into the woods again. After a few close calls with the Wood Wolves and increasing terrific reception on her new supernatural blog, Candy had realized that she possessed the uncanny ability to hunt wolves.<p>

She knocked on the door, wondering what the twins could possibly want at this hour. It was past midnight, and Candy was planning to relax for a little and watch cartoons on her computer, but Mabel had called and insisted she come over.

Dipper cautiously opened the door, grinning when he saw Candy and awkwardly shifting from foot to foot.

"Hey there," Dipper squeaked, going red in embarrassment. "We have something for you inside."

"Candy will follow you," she nodded, grasping the blue fabric of Dipper's fleece vest. Dipper tensed up, but relaxed after a moment. He led her up the stairs into the attic and sat her down on his bed.

"Is this about wolves?" Candy asked, tilting her head slightly.

"No."

"Is this about monsters?"

"Again, no."

"Creeper Crawlers?"

"Creepy Crawlers, and no. And before you speak again, I'm just gonna do it," Dipper growled determinedly, pinching the bridge of his nose to suppress his annoyance.

"Do wh-," Candy was cut off as Dipper lunged at her and forcefully cupped her face with his rough hands. Their lips met, and Candy shivered. So this was a kiss. Candy, unsure of what to make of this situation, stayed very still and quiet. Dipper tried his best to encourage her to move her lips, but failed. He pulled back dejectedly, cheeks ablaze.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It was very weird," Candy decided, making Dipper slump even lower. "But I enjoyed it, I think."

Dipper glanced up. "Really?"

"Of course. I am not mad, but is that why you called me here so late?" Candy asked.

"One of them. The other one is in my dresser," Candy was perplexed at his meaning until Dipper walked to his dresser drawer and pulled out a familiar object. Candy gasped.

"My camera! How did you-?"

"Soos is a magician, Candy," was Dipper's only reply.

Candy accepted the camera graciously, replacing the cheap device around her neck. She slipped the camera hook through her leather neck strap and smiled brightly.

"Thank you very much!" Candy beamed, expressing her gratitude with an eager hug. Dipper felt his chest flutter, and he cast a glance to his piggybank. His summer savings, which had just reached $450.00 was now depleted to nothing, and Dipper couldn't feel more satisfied.

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><p>For Mabel, sleeping in the spare room away from Dipper and Candy with the suspense just boiling in the pit of her stomach was the equivalent of Hell. So she didn't sleep. She started knitting a new sweater to wear, a design made of pine trees and peppermints. She hummed to herself contentedly, leaning back on the couch.<p>

Her alarm clock read 10:00, and before the minute changed, Mabel had already raced up to the attic with a bright smile on her face. She opened the door and barged inside, eager to see what crazy stuff the now pronounced boyfriend and girlfriend were up to. She didn't even have to wonder if Candy accepted. She had been up all night and never heard the front door open or close, which meant that Candy was still inside the shack.

The weather outside was a dull gray, with even darker clouds rolling in. Rain lightly dripped on the window, and rolled down the sill in big globs. Mabel's eyes darted from the window to Dipper's bed.

Candy was sleeping curled up in a ball, with a silver chain instinctively wrapped around her fingers. Next to her, Dipper had an arm thrown around her waist, and was sleeping with his face pressed into her hair. Mabel felt the corners of her lips draw up even further. She spotted a scratched up digital orange camera on the floor and plucked it up, turning it on and taking several pictures of the two, all the while singing, "Click, click, click!"

Dipper woke first, used to his sister's antics. He swatted her hand away and grumbled.

"Can't you save this for later?" He whined.

"Absolutely not, Bro-beans. It's my duty to capture these memories!" Mabel chimed, spinning on her heel and pulling the camera away from Dipper's hands.

Dipper laughed and rolled his eyes, relaxing again in the warm spot next to Candy Chiu. Life was good.


End file.
